Gale warning for Sunday, police urge careful driving in mountains (Update 2)

Winds as strong as force 8 on the Beaufort scale are expected to hit parts of the coast on Sunday, the met office has warned as it issued a yellow wind warning.

The warning is valid from 05:00 to 17:00 on Sunday.

“Near gale westerly winds force 7 Beaufort are expected to affect the mountain and inland areas at times, while gale force westerly winds force 8 Beaufort will affect the coastal areas at times,” said the warning issued on Saturday.

Meanwhile, with day trippers eager to see the snow in the mountains over the weekend, police repeated warnings that driving conditions are difficult with more snowfall likely.

Only four wheel drives or vehicles with snow chains should attempt the trip they said, repeating that in recent days they have had to respond to eight emergency calls to dislodge drivers who became trapped in the snow, including one where an entire family had to be transported to safety.

The meteorological office also issued a yellow weather warning for Saturday, saying that isolated thunderstorms are expected to mainly affect the western and southern parts of the island, with rain rates anticipated to range between 35 and 50 millimetres per hour.

“Take extra care in exposed areas like mountains, forests and open terrain,” the office said, before adding that disruption to outdoor activities is a possibility.

The office had previously said that the effects of the Elpis weather system will be felt in Cyprus from Saturday, with the cold snap due to hit the island on Sunday.

More snow may fall in mountainous areas while rain and storms are possible elsewhere, particularly in the south of the island.

Snow stood at 32 centimetres in Troodos square on Saturday morning.

On Saturday temperatures were expected to hover around 15C inland, 14C in the southwestern coast of the island, 16C in other coastal areas, and 4C in the mountains.

On Sunday, temperatures will drop to 9C inland, 12C along the coast, and around zero degrees in the mountains where frost is expected to form.